Nauru seeks to build football culture from scratch
8 reported
The world’s smallest island nation, Nauru, has never fielded a team in an official international football match and has only one hard sand pitch, according to a report by BBC News. A group of volunteers led by British former academy player Charlie Pomroy is working to introduce the sport to the Pacific island, which has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. The Nauru Soccer Federation posted a social media message congratulating Spain on winning the World Cup and expressing hope that Nauru could one day be in a similar position. The island has tried to develop football before, but it has never taken off, with the closest it came to an international match being a 1994 game against a Solomon Islands expatriate team and a 2014 match against a refugee side. Pomroy and seven other volunteers are focusing on long-term development, including a campaign to give every child aged four to 14 a football, and plan to set up coaching programmes when Pomroy arrives for a training camp in December. The project faces challenges including limited usable land, reliance on fundraisers, and communication difficulties due to storms that can knock out internet access.
What’s reported
Nauru has never fielded a team in an official international football match.
The island has only one hard sand pitch for football.
A group of eight volunteers, led by British former academy player Charlie Pomroy, is working to develop football on Nauru.
The volunteers have launched a campaign to give every child aged four to 14 a football, roughly 2,000 children.
Past attempts to introduce football included a planned match with former Premier League striker Dave Kitson that never happened for financial reasons.
Nauru will host the Micronesian Games in 2028, a multi-sport event that includes football.
69% of Nauru’s population is classed as obese, and around 40% have type 2 diabetes.
The island measures only 21 square kilometres, with most of its population clustered around the coastal edges.
Key figures
Charlie Pomroy: British former academy player, technical director for Nauru Soccer, leading volunteer efforts.
Tyrone Deiye: Volunteer and urban planner in Nauru, hoping to use family land for more pitches.
Dave Kitson: Former Premier League striker who was appointed to lead a group of 18 Nauruans for a match that never happened.
Sources: BBC News
